All to play for as destiny of Sharks is ‘in our own hands’

After a rare blank weekend for the DBL Sharks Sheffield, the team look to build some playoff momentum with the visit of Worcester Wolves to the EIS on Friday.

The league, below champions Leicester, has been remarkably tight this season and it is unbelievable that Worcester are still seeking to confirm their place in post-season.

Lady luck didn’t shine down on the Sharks last Friday. A victory for Bristol over Cheshire would have confirmed our playoff berth but an unbelievable three point score from former-Shark Malcolm Riley for Cheshire saw them take the honours by 100-97.

So our destiny is now in our own hands as we look to secure the win we need.

Forward Robert Gilchrist returns to the Worcester line-up as we welcome back Mike Tuck to the Sharks fresh from his exploits in Australia with the England Commonwealth Games team.

The side reached the quarter final stage over on the Gold Coast but we are happy to have Mike back in the ranks ready for the last four games of regular season and hopefully a tilt at the playoffs.

Worcester exploited Mike’s absence from the team in our last encounter as they won out by 91-80.

That win put the league head-to-head at one each so this is truly a must win game.

Head-to-heads are used to separate league positions if teams finish level on points, something which could prove vital as we look for the best post-season seeding as possible.

While this is our third league meeting of the campaign, we lost to the Wolves over two legs in the BBL Cup Semi-Final but we were successful over two legs in the BBL Trophy.

Add in our match in pre-season and this becomes our eighth meeting of the year!

We have three games left in regular season after Friday. On Sunday, we travel to Manchester Giants.

The Giants can’t make the playoffs but have been playing with abandon in recent matches so we need to be aware of what they bring to the table.

They have the league’s leading rebounder in David Kadiri, who is also a prolific scorer and definitely one to watch.

We return home on Thursday 26th April to take on Glasgow Rocks, who provided most of the Scotland squad that competed for the bronze medal at the Commonwealths.

We then finish away to Plymouth on Sunday 29th April.

It has been the case in recent years that the team that has momentum towards the end of regular season, does well in the playoffs.

We know this only too well from our exploits in 2016 when we triumphed over Leicester Riders in the final at the O2 Arena in London.

We hope that the Sheffield sporting public can come out in their numbers once more to support us as we attempt a repeat. Come along and enjoy the ride and discover what it feels like to ‘fear the fin!’

Tickets for Sharks v Wolves on Friday 20th April at EIS Sheffield are available on the door. Doors open 6.30pm, tip off 7.30pm.